


Wait and Hope

by rubylily



Category: Gakkou Gurashi! | School Live!
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Pre-Canon, Slice of Life, Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28002135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: Kurumi, the end of the world, and the early days of the School Living Club.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Wait and Hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chibifukurou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibifukurou/gifts).



While she didn't have any specific plans in mind, Kurumi had been looking forward to summer break. This was her final year of high school, after all, and she wanted to have fun and stick with the track team as long as possible before she had to step down to focus on her studies. In the days leading up to the end of the world, some former track members who'd graduated the previous year began to visit, racing with current members for one last hurrah.

Now she wished for homework and finals and graduation more than anything.

She and Megumi stared at the barricade made of desks and sharp wires. "Well, we've reclaimed a good chuck of the third floor so far," she said with a weak chuckle.

Megumi clutched her cross necklace, and still Kurumi wasn't used to her shorter hair. "But the kitchens and the library are on the second floor."

Kurumi's fingers tightened around the handle of the gardening shovel she held, and the weight of it had grown familiar in her hands. "I can go alone. It might be safer that way."

"No!" Megumi exclaimed, more forcefully than Kurumi had ever heard her. "I'm still your teacher, and I will not allow you to take such risks by yourself!"

Kurumi bit back a retort. Could Megumi still be a teacher with only three students left? No, that was unfair, she chided herself. If anything, Megumi was even more of a teacher now because she was the only surviving adult in this living hell. "Thanks, Megu-nee," she whispered, and much to her surprise, Megumi didn't correct her.

On paper, the plan was simple: at this brief time between after school and sunset, when there was the least amount of _them_ , Kurumi and Megumi would brave the second floor to gather supplies from the cafeteria and kitchens, and then, if it was safe to do so, gather books from the library. Probably for the School Living Club, Kurumi thought; she didn't really get it, but even pretending to be part of some silly club had to be better than nothing, at least until they secured an escape route or were rescued.

Kurumi inhaled a deep breath. The four of them - her, Megumi, Yuuri, and Yuki - only had to hold on for a little longer, and soon this nightmare would be over, she hoped.

She and Megumi carefully made their way past the makeshift barricade, and she clutched her shovel defensively as Megumi kept close behind her. It was a strange feeling, knowing that she was responsible for a teacher's safety, and often, too often, she saw the guilt that filled Megumi's pale eyes. They slowly descended the stairs, listening for any strange noises, and as they reached the second floor, much to their relief the hallway was clear.

Fortunately, the entrance to the kitchens was near the stairwell, and both Kurumi and Megumi had studied maps of the school to prepare for this. Kurumi entered first, her shovel ready, and while she was prepared for the stench of rotting food, there was none. She smiled; so the refrigeration hadn't failed. Once she was certain there was nothing lurking about, she let Megumi into the kitchens, and they secured the door before making their way to the food storage, packing as much as they could into the backpacks they carried. Cooking utensils and pots lay scattered and broken on the floor, but nothing was salvageable.

From the kitchens they entered the cafeteria, and while the tables were overturned and trashed and the windows broken, again Kurumi and Megumi were alone. Yet Kurumi's heart still raced. She couldn't let down her guard, she told herself. Neither she nor Megumi were safe here, not until they returned to the clubroom - once the student council office - on the third floor.

She could almost laugh at herself. Already she thought of the School Living Club as a kind of sanctuary.

"We'll head to the other end of the cafeteria, and right across the hall is the library," Megumi said, her voice barely even a whisper.

Kurumi raised an eyebrow. "Are books really that important now?"

Megumi laughed, an awkward yet sincere laugh. "Without books, boredom will be our club's greatest enemy."

As they left the cafeteria, the sun had not begun to set, so they still had time. They crossed the hall, Kurumi's eyes lingering on the school store nearby for just a moment. It was also full of supplies they could use, such as spare uniforms, but Megumi had said that would be a risk for another day. She touched the short sleeve of her school uniform. "We won't need winter uniforms, will we…?" she found herself asking.

Megumi froze for just a moment. "I hope not," she muttered.

They entered the library, and Kurumi gulped. It was far larger than the kitchens, and with the tall shelves, also difficult to tell where danger might be lurking. She and Megumi stepped cautiously, but heard nothing. Megumi grabbed books from each section they passed, and out of the corner of her eye Kurumi caught one title - _Diagnosing Dissociative Identity_ —

"Ebisuzawa-san, behind you!"

Kurumi whirled around, and one of _them_ approached quickly. Blood pounding in her ears, she swung her shovel without thinking, striking the ruined student's neck. But it didn't stop there - the blade of the shovel severed the neck completely, and as the head hit the ground, blood gushed from that rotting body. So much blood, and…

Falling to her knees, Kurumi vomited. Her body wouldn't stop trembling. The stench of rotting blood filled her nose, and it had grown far too familiar these days. "I… I…" she tried to say, staring at the blood-stained shovel in her hands.

Gently Megumi touched Kurumi's shoulder. "Let's return to Takeya-san and Wakasa-san. They'll worry if we're gone much longer."

Kurumi nodded numbly as she stood. If she wanted to protect the others, she had no choice.

She and Megumi left the library and returned to the nearby stairwell. The library, the cafeteria, the kitchens, the hallways - it was all the same. Broken glass and other debris littered the ground, impossible to ignore. In the blink of an eye, the school was destroyed, leaving the four of them the as only survivors, and all around _they_ lurked and stalked. Watching. Waiting.

Once on the third floor, Kurumi and Megumi passed the barricade, and Yuki and Yuuri waited near the clubroom. Kurumi hid her bloody shovel behind her back; she would have to clean it later, she reminded herself.

"Welcome back!" Yuki said brightly, and her smile was wide, as if she was having one of her good days.

Kurumi tried to smile too. Sometimes she wished she could see the school through Yuki's eyes.

* * *

Kurumi didn't like remembering the first day of the end of the world, but each night, as she lay in her sleeping bag, her thoughts always drifted to that day.

On the rooftop, the pounding on the door eventually ceased, and the four of them - Kurumi, Yuuri, Yuki, and their teacher Megumi - were silent. Kurumi was still covered in blood, and they had let the body of her former sempai fall over the railing to the ground below. She'd once watched some episodes of an American show like this, but no TV show could've prepared her for how each second, each moment that passed felt like an eternity. Boredom, dread, anxiety - none of those words felt right. There were no words left to describe this feeling.

Yuki kept crying, and none of them had the heart to make her stop. Minutes passed, hours passed, and still her tears fell. What else could she do? What could any of them do now? Kurumi probably would've started crying too, if she wasn't so numb. Her former sempai, who had graduated the previous spring and was visiting today of all days, had transformed into a monster before her very eyes, and she had killed him. That vile stench of blood still filled her nose, but she had nothing left inside her to vomit.

Had the other students and teachers become monsters too? What about the rest of the city? If they waited, would rescue come?

Eventually Yuki calmed, falling asleep with her head in Megumi's lap, and the sun began to set, beckoning the night. Yet none of them moved, their backs still against the door. Ever since the final bell, only silence lingered, as if the other students truly had gone home. Maybe it would be safe to leave the rooftop gardens now. But none of them spoke, perhaps fearful of disturbing Yuki's fragile peace. A chill lingered in the night air, despite summer being just around the corner.

Kurumi didn't remember falling asleep, and she held that shovel all throughout the night. Maybe this was all just a nightmare, she wondered hopefully, and soon she would wake. But as the stars and the moon drifted across the sky as they always did, still she didn't wake from this dream, and still Yuuri rested her forehead against her knees drawn to her chest while Megumi held Yuki in her lap, the four of them alone at the brink of this world.

A sigh slipped from Kurumi's lips. It was a zombie apocalypse, straight from television or a video game. And she didn't even like those kinds of games; she preferred racing games instead.

Too soon the sun began to rise again, tearing away the darkness that hid the destruction below. The second day of the end of the world, Kurumi thought bitterly as tears stung at the corners of her eyes. She was hungry, her back ached, and all that blood…

Much to her surprise, Yuki slowly stood, clutching that strange cat-shaped hat she wore. She was still a moment longer, and then took a hesitant step toward the gardens. "We need to clean up," she said softly, "or else the gardening club will be sad."

"What are you—?" Kurumi tried to ask, but Yuuri had already gathered gardening tools and joined Yuki among the garden plots, kneeling beside her as they put their hands into the soil.

"It's fortunate we have these vegetable gardens on the roof," Megumi said with a faint smile, but dark circles lingered underneath her eyes. "We should focus on that for now."

"If you say so," was all Kurumi could say as she got to her feet. She glanced at the door leading into the school. Food was important, but they needed shelter too. Her fingers tightened around her shovel. She didn't know anything about gardening or harvesting, but she was an athlete, so she at least had physical strength she could put to use. Thus with a deep breath she gripped the doorknob.

Megumi's eyes went wide. "Ebisuzawa-san?" she exclaimed, fear clear in her voice.

Kurumi forced a smile. "You help the others, and I'll secure a path."

To say she was scared would be an understatement. But as she fought to protect what would become the School Living Club, she tried to remember each and every one of _them_ she had to put to rest with her shovel.

* * *

As days passed and the School Living Club came together, the four of them fell into something of a routine. Yuki still sometimes had days where she did nothing but cry and some days she simply spent staring into space, but other days she acted as if everything was normal and nothing terrible had happened, and on those days Kurumi didn't know what else to do but play along. Yet she sometimes found herself smiling more when she indulged Yuki's fantasies.

And sometimes, when on the school roof during a sunny day, she could almost lose herself in her own fantasy world too.

Underneath a clear blue sky, Kurumi leaned against the railing of the school roof, her worn shovel by her side. Megumi had ended class for today, but Yuki remained behind for make-up lessons, like a normal day of school. Kurumi chuckled to herself; playing school in the middle of a zombie apocalypse wasn't so bad.

Not that she'd been able to concentrate on today's lessons, though. She pressed her fingers against her throbbing forehead. Since morning her body had felt warm, too warm, and sometimes she couldn't see straight. Maybe she was just exhausted. They had retaken most of the third floor, but there was still so much to clean and repair, it almost felt endless.

She sighed. If she thought about it, she could count the days since then, but she preferred not to. She and the others had tried to use their smartphones to call for help, but none of them had gotten a signal, and none of the phone lines in the offices had worked either. But they were the School Living Club, she told herself. Just like Megumi said, they were living at school, not trapped.

"Well, rule number two of the School Living Club," she said aloud. "'Because the School Living Club uses the school facilities, we must always repay that debt.'" She grabbed her shovel, but nearly stumbled as sudden dizziness came over her, and she seized the railing with her free hand to steady herself.

The door to the rooftop opened, revealing Yuki. "There you are!" she said, rushing over to Kurumi. "Megu-nee and Rii-san were talking, and—" She paused, peering closely at Kurumi's face. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, really." Kurumi waved her hand dismissively as she tried to smile.

Yuki pouted, and without warning she pressed her hand against Kurumi's forehead. "You're burning up!"

"I said—!" Kurumi began to say, but her body finally gave out. She fell against Yuki, and much to her embarrassment, Megumi and Yuuri also now stepped onto the rooftop, and she was too tired to argue as they fussed over her and guided her inside. They set her on a sofa in one of the empty classrooms, and she began to drift in and out of consciousness.

Eventually she must've fallen asleep, as familiar nightmares came for her, and she didn't have the strength left to resist them. She couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a restful night's sleep. When she closed her eyes, she found herself surrounded by the rotting, undead bodies of her former classmates, but even as she swung her shovel wildly, there was never any end to them. Her body burned, as if it were on fire, but it wasn't enough, it was never enough, and _they_ pushed forward, closer and closer…

Kurumi awoke from a start, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "Always the same dream…" she found herself muttering.

"Good morning, Kurumi-chan!" Yuki said with a bright smile as she knelt at Kurumi's side. "Or, well, it's almost evening now, actually."

"So I wasn't out that long," Kurumi said as she pulled the blankets from herself and sat up. She let out a chuckle; Yuki's smile had grown more sincere since Megumi and Yuuri came up with the idea of the School Living Club.

"Still, you gave us quite the scare!" Yuki took a towel and dried the sweat from Kurumi's clammy skin. "Remember School Living Club rule number four?"

Kurumi felt her cheeks flush, and she was fairly certain it wasn't because of her fever. "Uh…" she stammered.

"It's the most important one!" Yuki crossed her arms over her chest and nodded sagely. "'The club members always have to aid and support each other and lead a fun school life.' That means if something's wrong or you don't feel well, you should tell us so we can help you!"

"Well, I…" Kurumi tried to say, but sighed instead. "There's so much we still have to do…"

Yuki pouted. "And you don't have to do it all alone, you know. I mean, you and Megu-nee got to go to the library and the cafeteria without me or Rii-san just a few days ago! How unfair was that? We're supposed to work together!"

"But it's too dangerous for all of us to go together!"

"Huh?" Yuki blinked, a strange hollowness in her pink eyes. "Dangerous? How?"

Kurumi gulped. So Yuki really was having one of _those_ days. She still didn't understand how that worked, not knowing much about psychology and all that, but maybe that was why Megumi had gotten those psychology books; to help better understand Yuki. She cleared her throat and said, "The School Living is a lot of fun, right? So the other students might get jealous they're not part of the club."

"Oh!" Yuki clapped her hands together. "You're right! But really, all they have to do is ask and we'll let them join. The School Living Club is always looking for new members!"

Kurumi laughed, and it almost felt genuine. At least Yuki would humor her poor attempts at lying. "I'm sorry for worrying you, really."

Yuki put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, Kurumi-chan, we're already third-years. We need to set a good example for any future members!"

Something like a smirk tugged at Kurumi's lips, and her heart began to feel lighter. "You do remember it's traditional for third-years to retire from club activities to focus on studies, right?"

"Urk—!" Yuki's eyes went wide, as if horrified, but she quickly tried to regain her composure. "W-Well, the School Living Club is all about innovation and forging new paths…"

"Yeah, we're a pretty strange group," Kurumi said as she rested her chin in her hand. "So you're stuck with me until graduation!"

A strange expression flickered across Yuki's face as she approached the broken window, and she appeared almost ghostlike in the light of the evening sun. "Right, graduation…" she mumbled.

"Yuki?" Kurumi said carefully. Her fingers tensed; had she said something wrong? She hadn't seen Yuki look so hollow and vulnerable since that day all hell broke loose.

The door slid open, and Megumi and Yuuri stepped into the ruined classroom. "Megu-nee, Rii-san!" Yuki exclaimed as she smiled widely. "Kurumi-chan is finally awake!"

"I wasn't out that long…" Kurumi grumbled.

"That's good," Megumi said as she came closer to Kurumi, and she held a touchless thermometer to Kurumi's forehead, and when it beeped, she examined the number displayed. "It looks like your fever has gone down."

"Here, Kurumi," Yuuri said, holding out a water bottle. "I thought you might be thirsty."

Kurumi accepted the bottle with a nod and drank the water greedily. The school had its own filters to draw and purify water from the nearby Kuchina River, and thus sometimes the water had a strange aftertaste, but she was used to it. That the school's water purification systems still worked at all was something to be grateful for.

Once Kurumi finished the water, Megumi's expression grew stern. "Ebisuzawa-san, what have I told you about over—?"

"Oh, Megu-nee!" Yuki said, interrupting her. "Don't we need to finish helping the gardening club?"

"Huh?" Megumi froze for a moment, and her expression softened. "Oh, yes, you're right. Wakasa-san, please stay with Ebisuzawa-san."

Yuuri nodded. "I will."

Once Yuki and Megumi had left the classroom, Kurumi let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for that save, Yuki," she whispered.

"But Megu-nee is right," Yuuri said as she sat beside Kurumi on the worn sofa. "You should be more careful not to overexert yourself. You're lucky you didn't collapse… elsewhere."

Kurumi understood well what Yuuri meant. Even after so long, it was still difficult for them to speak the reality of their situation out loud. "Sorry," she said with an awkward laugh, and she rested her head in Yuuri's lap, much like Yuki sometimes did too.

"I should apologize too." Yuuri laid her hand on Kurumi's hair, stroking gently. "We really do rely too much on you and your shovel."

Another sigh fell from Kurumi's lips. Before all this happened, she had only known of Wakasa Yuuri as another student in her year, and she remembered overhearing the teachers mention something about a family tragedy in Yuuri's life, but she didn't know the exact details. Yuuri was calm and collected, like a responsible older sister, and Kurumi was thankful for that, but there was also a fragility about her, one that Kurumi couldn't quite place her finger on.

Before the silence grew too unbearable, Kurumi finally spoke again. "We all have something we're good at," she said, trying to smile. "I'm the brawn and you're the brains."

"Honestly, Kurumi," Yuuri said in the same tone of voice Yuki had used earlier. "You shouldn't sell yourself short. The whole point of the School Living Club is to help us support each other."

"And to lead a fun school life." Kurumi laid her arm across her stomach, and from where she lay she could see the setting sun outside the window. "Yuki said that too."

Something like a shadow flashed across Yuuri's face, but only for a moment. "She's doing so much better now."

"If you say so," Kurumi replied faintly. It probably was better that Yuki wasn't crying so much anymore, delusions or not. "You know, it's been pretty quiet these past few days."

Yuuri chewed her lip as her eyes darted toward the window. "I've been watching the weather, and there's been more dark clouds lately. It might start storming soon, so we'll have to converse power."

Kurumi groaned and immediately felt guilty for doing so. That the solar panels were still operational was something none of them could take for granted. "Hope Yuki won't be too disappointed."

Yuuri laughed softly. "We just have to take each day one at a time."

Again silence began to fall over the two of them, and Kurumi clenched and flexed her fingers to calm herself. Even through her fingerless gloves she could still feel the callouses on her palms, proof that this living hell was no mere nightmare. Yet each day they played at normalcy, building a new school life out of broken pieces while waiting for the day they would eventually wake. "Hey," she said, feeling Yuuri jolt beneath her. "Everything that we're doing… is it right? How much longer do we have to wait…?"

"As long as we're alive, that's what matters," Yuuri whispered, so quietly Kurumi couldn't be sure if she had spoken or if it was just Kurumi's imagination.

Once, she had read a Japanese translation of a classical French novel - or rather, a heavily abridged version her parents had given her - and suddenly she was reminded of words the protagonist had shared with a dear friend about human wisdom: _wait and hope._

* * *

"It's already November, huh?" Miki said as she set down her pencil, and she sat with Kurumi and Yuuri in the clubroom. "Sometimes it's hard to believe how long it's been since that day."

Kurumi glanced at the notebook Miki was writing in; Megumi had kept a diary too, she remembered, but neither she nor Yuuri had been able to bring themselves to search for it since Megumi's passing. "At first, we really didn't know what to do, so, well, we pretty much spent the first few days frozen in fear," she said with a weak laugh. "But when we formed the School Living Club, we were able to start making real progress."

"If we thought of what needed to be done as club activities, it became easier to get through each day," Yuuri added.

"I think I understand," Miki said as she wrote Kurumi's and Yuuri's words into her notebook. "When… I was in the mall, I tried to have a routine like classes."

Kurumi rested her chin on her hand. "So why all the sudden questions about the history of the School Living Club?" she asked with a smirk.

Miki's cheeks grew red. "I was thinking it'd be a good idea for us to have records about what we've accomplished and things like that."

Yuuri chuckled. "We can't say it's been easy, but I think we've done well for ourselves."

"It's amazing how well-equipped the school is," Kurumi said. "Yuki even says it's like its own little country."

A faint smile crossed Miki's lips. "She would say that, wouldn't she?" Her smile vanished as her eyes fell upon Yuuri's account book. "But how much longer can we stay here?"

"As long as the machinery and infrastructure aren't damaged, we don't have to worry about power or water," Yuuri replied, tapping her fingers on the table. But food is another issue."

"We can leave to find supplies outside, but that's always risky." Kurumi frowned. "Going to the mall was one thing, but driving around without knowing if we'll find survivors or shelter is just too dangerous." Her chest tightened. "I… know we may have to leave someday, but we have enough at school for now."

Yuuri laid her hand over Kurumi's, and Kurumi couldn't tell if her hand trembled or Yuuri's. "Maybe someone will find one of our letters soon," she whispered.

Something like a smile tugged at Kurumi's lips as she recalled letters attached to balloons and pigeons. Maybe Arnaud Hatonishiki would return with a rescue team. She almost laughed at the mental image, but then again, nothing was impossible these days.

After Megumi's death on that rainy day, Kurumi and Yuuri had spent several nights arguing and breaking down in tears. Even Yuki had begun to regress. But eventually, as Kurumi and Yuuri fell further into despair, Yuki began to smile again, reminding them of the purpose of the School Living Club: to aid and support each other and lead a fun school life. Maybe they were just playing pretend while waiting for the inevitable, but for as long as she drew breath, Kurumi would protect the tiny world she and the School Living Club had created for themselves.

The clubroom door flew open, and Yuki stood proudly in the doorway. "Me and Megu-nee have finished helping the gardening club!" she announced.

Miki jolted, and Kurumi couldn't blame her; it was still strange to hear Yuki speak of Megumi so lightly. "You're always too excited, Yuki-sempai," Miki said with a sigh.

"Of course I am!" Yuki beamed. "That's how the School Living Club is! And besides, look at what we found in the gardens!" She held out a gardening pot, and in the dirt was a strangely-colored flower.

The other girls gathered around Yuki to get a better look at the flower. "It's beautiful," Miki said, her eyes wide. "But what kind of flower is it?"

"I thought the gardening club only grew vegetables," Kurumi said, peering at the pot in Yuki's hands.

"That's what Megu-nee said too!" Yuki replied. "If we take care of this flower, it might grow big and strong and make the clubroom even prettier!"

Yuuri also smiled. "Let's place it near the window so it can get plenty of light."

"If we go to the library, maybe we'll find a book that can tell us what this flower is called," Miki suggested. "And to be honest, we could use some new books."

"Good idea," Kurumi said as she grabbed her shovel. "I'll go with you."

Yuki's smile grew brighter. "Thank you, everyone!"

Kurumi couldn't help but smile too as she and Miki left the clubroom, and she cast one last glance at Yuki and Yuuri beside the mysterious flower. As the School Living Club, they just had to take each day one at a time, through all the smiles and tears, and hold tightly onto hope for tomorrow.


End file.
